I had such a great time at the writing conference in Ohio. I took a lot of notes and had a wonderful consultation on a writing sample I sent in. I won’t go into much detail here except to say that it was inspiring to spend a few days with a group of people who share this passion of mine. 

To summarize the biggest takeaways (none of them are profound or even new information, but helpful to me all the same):

1. Everyone feels like an imposter. 
2. Everyone gets rejected. 
3. Writing is work. Next time I find myself brooding over how difficult it is to get traction in the marketplace and then slipping into a panic about whether or not I have something original to say and/or the talent to say it, I should stop, shut up, and get back to work. 

Cheryl Strayed gave a wonderful reading at the conference. I was lucky enough to get a minute to talk to her and get a book signed. (Swoon!)

A few days later I saw this post on her Facebook page (no I am not stalking her, why would you ask me that?). I thought “I can toss out my notes from the conference and just memorize this!”  

Or maybe I’ll just print it and put it on my bathroom mirror. I’m thinking it’s a little too long to be a tattoo, but I haven’t ruled it out yet. 

About Rachel Lewis

I am a writer, ceramic artist, knitter, and stepmom. As a playwright, I had six short plays produced in showcases and festivals in Manhattan, Salt Lake City, and Austin. My full-length play, Locking Doors, was presented by Wordsmith Theatre Company in The New Lab Theatre (University of Utah) in 2005. I co-wrote a teleplay titled “Thank God I’m Atheist” which won the 2015 “No God But Funny” contest founded by the Center for Inquiry. My short nonfiction essay, “It’s Coming Down,” was published by the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs. My essay "The Red Rock Chronicles" was published in Contemporary West magazine. I currently work in pharmaceuticals professionally and write recreationally, but dream of making the transition to write professionally and do pharmaceuticals recreationally. I am a Utah native and live in Salt Lake City with my family and our Goldendoodle. I am working on a collection of humorous non-fiction essays and a second full-length play. Follow me at: rachelclewis.com @rachel_lewis_ut (Twitter) @rachel_lewis_ut (Instagram)

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